Mergon
"Fucking fantastic" - Catchphrase "...he's so badass!" - K'ruhk Mergon, '''also known as '''The Big One, named so because of his immense height and build, is a gladiator formerly enslaved under Teemo the Hutt to fight for his amusement. Though it would appear he was not adverse to violence, being an incredible fighter in his own right, he chafed at his chains and thus required little convincing to rise up when the Party arrived at the Hutt's palace. He proved a favourite of the Party in the fight that followed, his brutal kills appealing to all of them. This played a large role in them recruiting him into their team, promising slaughter and endless combat, where he essentially became the ship's security guard. He had been missing since the events in the Serpent's Coil, disappearing shortly after the group's arrests, later revealed to have been taken prisoner by the criminal group Black Sun in exchange for debts owed. After two weeks locked away aboard the coil, fortunately not yet sold off, he was saved from his slavery by Dabrir Vesh, the newest crew member of the Last Resort. He then ate heartily, got very drunk, and arm wrestled every member of the group - proving far chattier and cheerier than before. A very direct individual, he is usually a man of few words, preferring to let his actions do the talking. After numerous close calls in violent battles, aboard the Besradii Nova against the homicidal AI and against the Great Grey One on Selonia, he invested heavily in upgrades to his armour, getting med injectors, reinforced gauntlets and heavier armour. As the group settled permanently into the Besradii Nova, he was chosen as Head of Security, and to sit on the 'Council' of section leaders. As numerous figures freed from the Froz Simulation Vault stepped forward to join the sections, Mergon gained the allegiance of two former Royal Guardsmen - the Durosi Fon Jeid, and the Nautolan Kheng Sturta. So far, they seem to all be getting on like a house on fire. As time passed, he gradually became his own force to be reckoned with on the station - and after being assigned with the task of gathering more to his side, he set off on his quest. By 3638 BBY he had amassed his own squad of former gladiators and enforcers to do just that, making a living sabotaging gladiator arenas and freeing the enslaved fighters while doing so. Background Unknown at this point, though he eventually wound up indentured under Teemo's power. Due to his continued survival, it can be presumed he was undefeated so far. At some point prior to this, he wracked up a significant debt to the criminal group Black Sun, who later captured him and intended to sell him off for the debts owed. Involvement Out Of Slavery He first appeared in his cell beneath Teemo's Palace, presumably one of the Hutt's favourite fighters. Passed over initially by K'ruhk due to being drawn to the Wookiee down the hall, this figure listened in on the Party's conversations and offered no resistance when they revealed their plan to bust them all out of their cells. When they pulled the trigger and released the other gladiators, this individual followed them into the workshop and grabbed the two remaining vibro-axes, intriguing most of the Party. He would prove invaluable in the fight that followed, charging into the fray and claiming the most lives as he carved his way through the throne room. He trisected one of Teemo's elite Gamorrean guards with one swing of his axes, nearly slicing them into bacon, and did the same with another of the Hutt's goons. Shoulder barging the figure, which sent them flying briefly, he then brought his axes down in a cross motion that compacted the poor goon then and there. Their body attempting to move in three different directions, it was simply crushed in place before dropping down to the grounds. Charging up the throne to Teemo himself, he fared poorly, as the huge form of the crime lord was able to absorb most of his blows and then send him flying with brutally powerful tail strikes. One such blow sent him rolling down the steps and nearly knocked him unconscious, but he rallied and continued the fight, only for K'ruhk to fell the Hutt immediately afterwards. The deed done and the battle over, this figure sat on the steps to the throne and began to patch himself up. A New Friend As everybody settled down and unwound, he began a friendly rivalry with Nox, eating all of the snacks he was attempted to eat, and dipping cooked meat into drinks he had made. Not wanting to start a fist fight with this hulking figure, he simply accepted it and just passed him anything he wanted. This changed slightly, as Nox built up the courage to say "Ladies first" when they were all exiting Teemo's palace, for which he received a strong right hook to the eye that nearly knocked him unconscious. He decided it was worth it though, nursing the bruise proudly. After the exhausting trek back to Mos Shuuta, he appeared to head off with the smugglers, but was convinced at the last minute to join the Party in their adventures at K'ruhk's behest. Thoroughly impressed by his combat prowess and feeling like they had a use for him in their motley crew, the group leader then showed him around their vessel, discovering he had little all-over experience with ships, though at a push he was happy to fire big guns. As the group tied up loose ends, travelling to Geonosis, Ryloth and then to Mesekae's Hangar, he always remained on the ship, protecting it, making himself at home and slowly beginning to regret agreeing to joining the crew once he began witnessing their usual antics. The Serpent's Coil Following the death of K'ruhk, and the chaos that followed, Mergon was imprisoned with his fellows while the Tribunal decided upon a course of action. However, he was not present with Hikaru, Whitefang or Nox when the three were lead before this council for judgement. He has also not been seen since, with Hikaru wondering where he was when they returned from the Prison Massacre. While Dabrir Vesh overheard conversation that "the big one" had been taken by Black Sun to pay off their debts, relaying this to Hikaru later on, it is unknown if this relates to him - though the timing was suspicious. Two weeks later, he was still held captive on board the asteroid, likely for intended slavery, as one of the local Black Sun leaders said his price was capped at 10,000 credits. Dabrir Vesh, now fresh from the group's latest journeys and newest member of the Last Resort crew, met with this leader, paid the Houk's price (plus 2,000 extra as a sign of good faith) and then bought them all a round while one of the Black Sun underlings went to fetch their prisoner. It turned out that even the two weeks in captivity had done little to dampen the Houk's snarky demeanour, as despite being cuffed at every joint in his body and under the watch of 10 guardsmen, he threatened to beat each of them down if they didn't uncuff him immediately. Thanking his 'saviour' of sorts, the two then drank the next hour away - Mergon downing 20 shots with little effect to show for it. After he woke up, he explored around a little bit, found Hikaru (in full farmer/armour patchwork fashion), and then quickly returned to the cantina for more music and drinks. Challenging anyone who was willing to an arm wrestling match, he defeated Tira and Whitefang in quick succession, then Vesh in a close contest that saw the Jedi try to use his knowledge of pressure points to shut the Houk down. With them all drawing a crowd, Hikaru was up next and told Duna to place her bets. At 20 to 1 on Hikaru to win, both Vesh and Tira bet on Mergon while Whitefang, Duna and both Orpa and Wex Vio bet on the little guy. It was a hefty battle, with both of them getting close to victory, before Hikaru (using three hands to counter Mergon's superior strength) managed to score the win to a resounding cry of surprise from everyone around. As the bounty hunter ran a lap of celebration, Whitefang eagerly collected his winnings, totalling 3,000 credits, while the Vios enjoyed a 2,000 credits victory - merely expressing that it was about time the group paid them back. Stats and Abilities Attributes * Soak: 8 * Wound Threshold: 25 * Strain Threshold: 11 * Defence: 1/1 Skills: * Athletics: 1 * Brawl: 2 * Coercion: 2 * Cool: 1 * Discipline: 2 * Melee: 4 * Piloting (Planetary): 1 * Resilience: 2 * Survival: 1 * Vigilance: 2 Special Abilities: * Durable: Decreases Critical Injury rolls suffered by -10. * Frenzied Attack: When making a Brawl or Melee combat check, may suffer strain equal to ranks in this, then upgrade the combat check by that number. * Feral Strength: Adds +2 damage to a hit on all successful attacks using Brawl or Melee checks. * Lethal Blows: Adds +10 to any Critical Injury rolls inflicted on opponents. * Enduring: Add +1 Soak value. Inventory * Twin Hand Vibro-Axes * Heavy Clothing (sold) * Utility Belt * Frag Grenade (used) * Custom-Made Armour ** Kolto Injectors ** Reinforced Gauntlets * Throwing Axes x2 ** When thrown, return to his belt. Category:NPC Category:Allies Category:Houk Category:Hired Gun Category:Party